Though the Luke and Yoda scene has been improved by a later placement in the film (Hal and Poppa), in viewing the film holistically I think there’s a good argument for removing it completely. The scene acts as a way to show Luke’s change of heart regarding the Jedi, but in practical terms it consists of Luke’s old master ordering him to take care of Rey. It also feels weirdly and hopefully conclusive, a feeling in opposition with all potential scenes around it. Without this scene, Rey is retained as the primary force for bringing Luke back to the fight. It can be assumed that Luke has returned to protect his friends in their time of need, much more in keeping with his character than returning due to being admonished by a ghost.

Rey lifts Rocks

The entire sequence of Luke facing Kylo intercut with Rey lifting rocks feels like a missed opportunity. There are several issues, notably the arbitrariness of Luke’s death and his lack of a final contact with Rey. Both issues could be resolved if his voice called out to Rey as she lifts the rocks, clearly making him present at both her location and with Kylo.

Here’s how I might go about recutting this.

Kylo and Luke fight.
‘When I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi!’
‘Amazing. Every word of what you just said, was wrong. The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.’
Luke deactivates his saber.
Kylo runs at Luke, slices him in half.
Luke is revealed to be an illusion, meditating on his island.
Poe and Finn look on as the rocks are lifted.
Closeup of Luke facing Kylo. Luke says something to the effect of ‘The thousand generations live in you now’…he disappears from Kylo’s presence…‘Rey’
Cut to Rey as she lifts the rocks, surprise on her face.
Luke collapses on the island.
Rocks fall.
Reyunion and Fin.

I like this idea a lot…I always hated that scene of Rey lifting the rocks with such minimum training as its just makes her look so OP with no explanation. I always wanted an edit to appear as if Luke is lifting the rocks and not Rey. However your idea ties into TROS themes so it’s a lot better.

I like this idea a lot…I always hated that scene of Rey lifting the rocks with such minimum training as its just makes her look so OP with no explanation. I always wanted an edit to appear as if Luke is lifting the rocks and not Rey. However your idea ties into TROS themes so it’s a lot better.

Agreed. The scene would be much more believable if the film took place a few years after The Force Awakens instead of immediately after.

Yeah, any issues with the power of Rey are secondary to the larger issue of her place in the story, which I think in TLJ becomes a bit usurped by Luke and he steals the show. It seems a bit weird to imply a collaboration between them in this act of levitation since this might serve to add to that ‘Luke is awesome’ narrative, but Rey has proven her power many times before this point.

Yeah, any issues with the power of Rey are secondary to the larger issue of her place in the story, which I think in TLJ becomes a bit usurped by Luke.

Here’s my question though, I also have an issue with that scene in the movie, but how is your change fixing that? Not saying it doesn’t I’d just be curious to hear your thought process.

I’d like to hear the specifics of your issue with it.

As for my thought process, as I said above, her powers are well established and clearly equal to Kylo’s according to the saber breaking scene. It may seem a bit paradoxical to cure the issue of Luke’s limelight stealing sacrifice with even more evidence of his awesomeness, but the important thing is not the miraculous acts but how they relate to the characters. Luke knows that the First Order will see his power and glory on full display with his illusion. He must also know that if he helps Rey save the Resistance through the lifting of the rocks, she will get the glory and legend for this act though he had a hand in it. I see it as a final gift to Rey, a vindication of her belief in the legend of the Jedi which he passes on to her in this moment. Luke may feel that he is undeserving of his legend, yet in the end he faces evil regardless. He sees the value in such an act, and now Rey has the opportunity to feel what he feels; generating a legend greater than her own acts to become a spark of hope.

^ Seems Rey surprised her good self that she actually managed to lift the rocks - and that the attempt to do so did in fact require a focus of effort and concentration.

There is seemingly also a sense of wonder there too in Rey using the force for this task - Rey knows how to perform such a task from her learning various abilities during her interrogation by Kylo Ren. Yet she is unsure she can actually perform, or execute it, given her lack of experience or practice - and the situation she and her friends finds themselves in. To me, that sense of wonder, actually elevates the scene (no pun intended 😉)

For me, it is also a marker in her development - one where she can take confidence and belief from - on her journey / learning of her own ability to use the force.

I had the same idea you did about someone else helping Rey lift the rocks, except I wanted Leia to lift them. I think that could be a much better option. It would set up Leia training Rey in TROS, to make these movies seem more connected. It would show that although Rey has plenty of raw strength, as demonstrated in the rest of the movie, she still needs to learn to concentrate. And it would avoid deifying Luke’s character, by having someone who hasn’t shown much Force sensitivity before performing such an enormous task.

I had the same idea you did about someone else helping Rey lift the rocks, except I wanted Leia to lift them. I think that could be a much better option. It would set up Leia training Rey in TROS, to make these movies seem more connected. It would show that although Rey has plenty of raw strength, as demonstrated in the rest of the movie, she still needs to learn to concentrate. And it would avoid deifing Luke’s character by having someone who hasn’t shown much Force sensitivity before performing such an enormous task.

That would be good, except that there’s really no footage that can be made to indicate this.

I had the same idea you did about someone else helping Rey lift the rocks, except I wanted Leia to lift them. I think that could be a much better option. It would set up Leia training Rey in TROS, to make these movies seem more connected. It would show that although Rey has plenty of raw strength, as demonstrated in the rest of the movie, she still needs to learn to concentrate. And it would avoid deifing Luke’s character by having someone who hasn’t shown much Force sensitivity before performing such an enormous task.

That would be good, except that there’s really no footage that can be made to indicate this.

I was thinking about it, and I think it could be done. I was imagining something like this:

Luke gives his “Everything you just said was wrong” speech, and says that he will not be the last Jedi.

Cut to Kylo saying “I’ll destroy her, and you, and all of it!” Kylo tries to kill Luke, but realizes that he’s a Force projection. Luke collapses on the steps of the temple.

Cut to Rey, eyes closed, trying to lift the rocks. She can’t do it.

Cut to the shot of Leia looking up, from earlier, with a Force push sound effect added.

Light fills the eyes of the Resistance members, and Rey opens her eyes in surprise to find the rocks lifted.

Yeah, any issues with the power of Rey are secondary to the larger issue of her place in the story, which I think in TLJ becomes a bit usurped by Luke.

Here’s my question though, I also have an issue with that scene in the movie, but how is your change fixing that? Not saying it doesn’t I’d just be curious to hear your thought process.

I’d like to hear the specifics of your issue with it.

As for my thought process, as I said above, her powers are well established and clearly equal to Kylo’s according to the saber breaking scene. It may seem a bit paradoxical to cure the issue of Luke’s limelight stealing sacrifice with even more evidence of his awesomeness, but the important thing is not the miraculous acts but how they relate to the characters. Luke knows that the First Order will see his power and glory on full display with his illusion. He must also know that if he helps Rey save the Resistance through the lifting of the rocks, she will get the glory and legend for this act though he had a hand in it. I see it as a final gift to Rey, a vindication of her belief in the legend of the Jedi which he passes on to her in this moment. Luke may feel that he is undeserving of his legend, yet in the end he faces evil regardless. He sees the value in such an act, and now Rey has the opportunity to feel what he feels; generating a legend greater than her own acts to become a spark of hope.

My problems are basically, she’s the main character but in this sequence she is the B-plot to Luke’s story, but also I feel like this is where her arc for the film should be concluding, but we don’t really see her internal conflict. Basically, in my mind what they should have done is had Luke contact Rey and impart on her what Yoda imparted on him, that you can’t let failure get you down and all that, so Rey finds the strength within her to lift the rocks despite her failure her turn Kylo.

What you’re aiming for, I kinda feel like they already get that idea across just with him saying “I will not be the last Jedi” and then seeing Rey? Although I’m warming to it, now that I’m explaining my thoughts out loud. Depending on how your concept plays out it could make Rey’s rock lifting much more of it’s own moment beyond a cutaway from Luke’s speech. I can also see how Luke speaking to Rey would be a way of not just telling the audience that Luke is passing on his legacy to her, but Rey is being told as well. Hmm, it might work.

I just read through this thread and really like the idea of making Holdo, one of the last surviving senior officers of the New Republic Fleet. This would help illuminate why Poe is perhaps at odds with her as the New Republic did not believe Leia’s warning of the threat of the FO to the galaxy until after it was too late. Once Leia (the founding member of the resistance) is incapacitated, her band of like minded followers is taken over by a “bureaucrat” who has already made the fatal mistake of underestimating the FO and is now hijacking the resistance in the name of the New Republic who got the galaxy into this mess in the first place.

Also if there is a way to insert that the resistance believes there is a FO spy onboard then I think it would lend more credibility to Poe/Holdo’s cat and mouse game with each other. Plus it would also pay off one film later when Hux is revealed to be a resistance spy in TROS kind of lending credence to their suspicions of a FO spy in this alter version of TLJ.

Also if there is a way to insert that the resistance believes there is a FO spy onboard then I think it would lend more credibility to Poe/Holdo’s cat and mouse game with each other. Plus it would also pay off one film later when Hux is revealed to be a resistance spy in TROS kind of lending credence to their suspicions of a FO spy in this alter version of TLJ.

I always assumed that it was obvious they thought there could be a spy. Hyperspace tracking is set up as being so impossible, and of course Poe was a suspect with the new Admiral… He just destroyed the bombing fleet and most of the other pilots died in the attack of the ships. Since it seems to be so unclear, I think I might add some Rise of Skywalker dialogue into The Last Jedi as background murmuring either in the scene on the bridge when the First Order catches up to them, or just before Holdo is introduced.